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2nd Opening on Public Service Panel Spices Up Speculation
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-- John Wagner
A Swipe at Store Loyalty Cards
Retailers invite their customers to save money on groceries or electronics, as long as they carry the store's preferred customer card.
More and more shoppers are getting the cards, called consumer loyalty cards. But in exchange for discounts, they give stores their name, address and other personal information. Then supermarkets and big-box stores can track their purchasing history -- and learn a lot about them in the process. In the lingo of privacy experts, it's called data-mining.
Del. Saqib Ali, a Montgomery County Democrat, said he plans to file legislation tomorrow that would make Maryland the third state, after California and Connecticut, to curtail the practice.
"I'm frankly very concerned about the information that's out there for commercial interests," said Ali, a freshman and the General Assembly's only software engineer. "I think Maryland should be in a leadership position on this."
His bill would prohibit retailers from sharing or selling personal or marketing information about consumers. Violators would be charged with deceptive trade practices.
-- Lisa Rein
Gansler Wants Law to Prosecute Gangs
Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) has won the backing of the governor and House speaker for legislation that would grant Maryland prosecutors similar powers to target gangs that federal authorities use against the Mafia.
Gansler said Friday that the bill, which will soon be introduced, would allow state's attorneys across Maryland to prosecute entire gangs for certain violent crimes instead of requiring individual prosecutions. The law would be similar to the federal government's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, used to target organized crime.
Gansler said the bill has the support of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel), at least 50 delegates and at least 22 of the state's 24 local prosecutors.
-- John Wagner
